Speak Now
by TormentedByNostalgia
Summary: Vaughn gets engaged to Sabrina on a whim, only to realize what a big mistake it really was. Inspired by Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" and "You Belong With Me"
1. Chapter 1

**Authors' notes: **

**Krystal: **This a collab fic with a good friend of mine. Flames will be ignored. I don't give a shit if any of y'all have a problem with us bashing Sabrina because she rightfully deserves it! If you don't like this story, you know where the back button is, don't like, don't read.

To all the haters of Sabrina... This our gift to the fandom.

**Cuttlewolf:** Admittedly I've only played halfway through Sunshine Islands, so if any parts that I've written/will write have details that are wrong, just accept it as a part of whatever alternate universe this is. This story is dedicated to anyone who's worked hard to romance Vaughn, only to have Sabrina cut in and irritate you.

DISCLAIMER: Neither of us own Harvest Moon or any of its characters. This is simply a product of our imaginations.

* * *

Vaughn paced back and forth in front of Sabrina's mansion. What was taking his fiance so long? She was usually standing outside the house at this time - that girl was like clockwork. As several more minutes went by, he sat down in front of the steps. His friend Chelsea would occasionally be in this part of town early in the morning, and he hoped that he could see her today. Chatting with her would certainly help kill some time.

Chelsea plodded along the dirt road on her horse, the animal stopped upon seeing the silver haired cowboy in front of him. Chelsea's heart lurched as she approached closer and closer to him. Sighing she gently pulled the horse's reins.

Vaughn looked worse than ever before. Chelsea wondered what was wearing him down so much. She stopped her horse and walked over to him.

"Vaughn? Hey, surprised to see you here," she said brightly.

That's really something, Vaughn thought to himself. I think about talking to her, and suddenly she appears.

The cowboy stood and tipped his hat, smiling at his friend. "Good mornin', Chelsea," he said. "I'm just waitin' for Sabrina. We're going out today, and she's fixin' herself up all pretty, I guess..." He subconsciously patted his pocket, where he kept a beautiful golden ring set with a pink diamond. It was the ring he was going to give to Sabrina today. He thought about showing it to Chelsea, but decided against it. He was a humble man, and it didn't seem right showing off.

Chelsea wondered what he was fingering in his pocket and decided not to think of it too much. A few mintues passed. And Chelsea noticed how LONG Sabrina was taking, what was she doing?! Making rocks?

"She sure is taking a long time..." Chelsea thought, patting her horse.

"Here, Vaughn. I got something for you. Figure you could use some," Chelsea took out some homemade chocolate, she knew Vaughn liked it and he could definitely use some now!

With bright, excited eyes, Vaughn accepted the chocolate Chelsea made for him. He hadn't had homemade chocolate since... well, Chelsea was the only one who ever made him chocolate. It was his favorite!

"Thanks..." Vaughn said. He ran a finger along the rim of his hat, absentmindedly pulling it down slightly over his eyes. He looked away from the blonde-haired girl, unable to make eye contact. The feelings inside of him were confusing, but he ignored them whenever they took a wrong turn. His love for Chelsea was the love for a true friend, and he had already made his choice for a lover.

The look Vaughn had in his eyes made Chelsea warm inside. She always knew how to make him smile... And most importantly happy. Her horse, Cinnamon nudged her. She took out a carrot and gave it to her to nibble on. And with Sabrina, that light would never come back, but what exactly could she say now?

"Heh, taking an awful long time isn't she..." trailed off Chelsea.

The comment made Vaughn's gaze drift back to Chelsea. He reached out and rubbed her horse's nose. "Beats me..." he replied. "I bet she's excited about our date, so I don't think she's in there dwadlin'." Of course, the scenario where she overslept or decided to read another chapter in a book came to mind - Sabrina was both airheaded and spontaneous. But he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Chelsea then saw her chance. But should she take it? It was a beautiful summer evening, the air was warm and a cool breeze was blowing in every direction... It was perfect weather for taking a walk with a good friend, and going horse back riding. She debated for awhile, she may not get this chance at all. Here goes nothing, She thought.

"Wanna take a short walk? It's nice outside today.. And I don't think she'll be out soon.. Judging from her record," jibed Chelsea.

Vaughn sighed. His fiance did have a habit of being late. It were as if she had no sense of valuing time. That would all change during their married life, he was sure. Working alongside him selling animals would teach her about early rising... But there was also the issue of her fear of animals. She'd have to learn to shake that off too. In his line of work, there'd be nothing but animals running about.

"I don't see any harm in that," the cowboy said. If they were to walk through town and by the beach, Sabrina would likely be done when they returned.

Chelsea then helped Vaughn on the horse. It was in moments like these in which she was truly happy. With her two favorite things in the whole world, her horse, and Vaughn. This wasn't wrong, it was just a simple ride down to the beach.

"Let's go, Cinnamon," The mare whinnied happily and took off. It was because of Vaughn they had met. Chelsea took in every second of this happy occasion, after all, this little gathering may as well be their last.

Even though Sabrina took forever, she was going to be done soon. So she made Cinnamon gallop just a bit faster. Somehow, some way she wanted to tell Vaughn, how she really felt deep down. Even if it seemed to be too late, there was always that one last strand of hope she held on to for dear life.

They weren't doing anything inappropriate, but he still hoped that Sabrina wouldn't look out the window. If she got the wrong idea about this, she'd never let it go.

Vaughn used one hand to run his fingers along the horse's coat. "Cinnamon gets prettier every time I see her," Vaughn complimented. Nobody would argue that Chelsea is the best caretaker of animals on the island. Not even he knew the secret to making a horse's coat look so healthy. "Ya usin' any special formula on her coat?"

"Yep. It's a formula that doesn't cost anything. Love, Care and affection. I also brush her every now and then. Give her a break, just spend time with her... And give her the freedom she deserves..," Chelsea chuckled, her eyes fixated on Vaughn.

Cinnamon snorted happily in response to Vaughn's comment on her silky coat , and blinked her navy eyes. The horse already knew their destination... Far off on the beach, near the Sea Weed rock where Chelsea and Vaughn had first met.


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, at Regis's mansion...

Sabrina was in her room, sleeping soundly. The sound of horse hooves outside woke her up, but she didn't bother to check and see who it was. Probably Chelsea taking an early ride, or one of the traders making their rounds... Traders? Vaughn! She checked the clock, and felt silly for oversleeping when the man of her dreams was waiting for her.

She got out of bed. What time were they supposed to meet? It had completely escaped her mind, but she was never good at timely matters. Oh well, she was sure that he'd wait for her all day if he had to. She decided it was safe to take her time getting ready. Looking in the mirror, she thought about what she would wear to meet her date.

Taking a bite of the stale Hot Pocket on her dresser, Sabrina tore through her wardrobe in an attempt to find something figure flattering. Because she didn't like going out shopping on her own, her father had bought a lot of the things in her closet. Apparently, Regis had no idea how sizes work.

"Size 8?" Sabrina said in disgust, holding up a pair of pink skinny jeans. "I'll never squeeze into this!" Too bad, they were in her favorite color... Perhaps she could try? Placing one leg in, she hopped up and down to force the pant leg up her thigh. "Come on, fit! FIT!"

From downstairs, Regis and Will paused from their drinking tea, which was splattering from their cups. An earthquake was coming from upstairs, and they wondered what in blazes Sabrina was doing.


	3. Chapter 3

The sly mare looked back occasionally, making sure no one was following them. They arrived at the beach shortly and Chelsea got off of Cinnamon.

Vaughn followed Chelsea off the horse, thinking about what she had told him. It was true that he hadn't been as affectionate with his horses as he should be, but bonding with them would make it harder to part with them when they were sold. At least he made sure to sell his animals only to people who appear capable of caring for them. He couldn't bear to see anyone abuse or neglect animals, especially ones that he had bred and raised.

The cowboy looked to Chelsea, then to the sea. This place was special to them both. It was where they had met for the first time. He realized that once he was married to Sabrina, he couldn't hang out with Chelsea like this again. And if they did, it would have to be with Sabrina in tow.

He wasn't aware of how much time had passed - his thoughts had him completely wrapped up.

The sun was shining beautifully against the sea, like a bright ray of new hope. A second chance... Cinnamon lightly dusted her hoof on the sand as a signal to her human companion, urging her to speak now before it was too late.

Chelsea blinked twice, looked towards the sun and then at Cinnamon. She nodded in turn. With her heart pounding she turned to face Vaughn ready to somehow subtly confess her true, genuine feelings for him. The feelings that couldn't bear to hold in anymore, because they would only come back all up and consume her.

"Vaughn, thanks for coming by here with me. You're a great friend. Can't believe it's been six years since we met, huh? I hope we'll still be able to talk like this... Around you I.. don't feel so alone. You always make me smile.. Wh-When I first stepped on this island I've never felt so alone, I'll never forget how hardened you were, but I sure managed to break past that barrier.. Just like you broke past mine," She said it, and awaited Vaughn's reply. No matter how badly her heart would be shattered, because you regret most what you don't' say at all."All I want you to know is that. I'm here for you. Always,"

Vaughn closely held onto every word she spoke. The words that resonated in the back of his mind were getting harder to ignore. You've made a mistake. You've made a mistake. The thought was devouring him. What was the mistake, exactly? Getting engaged to Sabrina? Or was the mistake going to be confessing his innermost thoughts to Chelsea? Because that's what he was going to do. His best friend deserved closure.

"Thank you, Chelsea. I don't know what I would do without you. You were the first friend I've ever had..." he said, standing closer to Chelsea than he'd intended, but didn't move away. Somewhere within him, he knew what it was he liked about Chelsea. While Sabrina made him calm, Chelsea was the spice of life that made it worth living. "And I'll always be here for you. I never want to see you hurt. Don't be afraid to... come to me, whenever you need to."

Upon hearing the words she so longed to hear, her heart grew warmer than Gannon's iron mill. Without another thought she embraced him in a hug, feeling his steel body that made her feel so secure whenever she was alone. Her arms coiled tightly around him. Tears flowing down endlessly, she buried her face under his. His familiar scent made her forget about everything around them.

Cinnamon whinnied in relief, after all she was bred by a very smart man and he didn't deserve an idiot like Sabrina. She was glad he made a smart decision!

He accepted her hug, and wrapped his arms around her frame. The warmth flooded through him, so he shut his eyes and wished that time could move slower... Wait, why was she shaking? And his shirt was getting damp...

"Chelsea?" he asked, worry overtaking him. "Chelsea..." He raised a hand to her face, holding the side of her cheek and tried to move her head upwards, inviting her to look at him. It would be stupid to ask her what was wrong. It was something that's been wrong for a long time. Without giving it a second thought, he stated, "You don't need to cry, or be upset. Everything will be okay. I love you..."

Chelsea's breathing quickened, without another word she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his own.

"I love you too, Vaughn," she replied, stroking his face, no longer in tears. The deed had been done. No further questions needed to be asked.

Cinnamon whinnied and trotted next to them, it was getting rather dark.

Chelsea's kiss was met with Vaughn's own eagerness. All thoughts of Sabrina had been thrown out the window at this point. Finally, he'd realized what the mistake was, or rather, what it wasn't. The mistake wasn't Chelsea. She would never be a mistake.


	4. Chapter 4

The entire mansion was shaking. Will was becoming more annoyed while attempting to drink his tea. His suit was already stained from the sloshing liquid, so he decided enough was enough. Strangely, Regis hadn't reacted. Will assumed his uncle was used to it.

He headed upstairs to Sabrina's room, knocking on the door. "Sabrina?" he called to his cousin. She sounded like she was struggling. Perhaps there was a problem? He knocked a few more times, and when he didn't get a reply, he opened the door.

"Oh...!" Sabrina jolted, blushing when she saw her attractive cousin in the doorway. She still hadn't managed to wiggle her way into the pants. The seams in the fabric were starting to tear apart. "Will..." she trailed off, then suddenly burst into tears.

Here we go... Will thought, sighing. "What is the matter, my la- Sabrina?" he said, catching himself before he accidentally flattered her. He was aware of her childhood crush on him, which she had carried with her into teenhood, and even if she was getting married, the last thing he wanted to do was feed that ridiculous notion. He directed his eyes on the opposite side of the room, not wanting her to think he was ogling.

Sabrina's crying turned to screeching sobs in less than half a minute. "I-I can't... I c-c-can't find..."

Will pinched the bridge of his nose. His ears were burning from the obnoxious noise. "It certainly isn't the end of the world, Sabrina," he said with a sigh. "Have you lost something? I could help you find-"

"Aaah, no no no! T-that's not it!" Sabrina said, somewhat calmer than before. "I-It's..." she sniffled. "I can't find anything to wear! Everything in my closet looks hideous on me! Half of it doesn't even fit!" Crumpling onto the floor, she held the hopeless pair of skinny jeans in her hands, and wiped her dribbling nose on them.

Will scratched the back of his head, suppressing the headache that lurked within his skull and threatened to ruin his morning. He'd be needing a couple of asprins after this was all over. He walked into her closet, taking a look at her collection of clothing. It all looked expensive, but too small for his cousin. He knew about Regis's shopping for Sabrina, since Sabrina hated clothes shopping. Something caught Will's eye, and he cringed. Seriously, his uncle bought her a midriff top?!

"Fear not, my cousin," he said, smiling at the disheartened girl. "I am a man of impeccable style. I am determined to find you an outfit in here. You won't go wrong with my help, so don't give up!"

"You'll help me?" Sabrina looked up at him, her eyes and face red. Not all of that redness was from crying. "Oh, Will... Will, thank you! Thank you! Thanks for being so supportive of me!" Sabrina lept forward and brought her cousin into a tight hug.

Will squirmed in her grip. She must have thought his squirming was a sign of enjoyment.

After spending twenty minutes scouring Sabrina's closet, Will had to agree with Sabrina's earlier statement. Everything she owned really did look hideous on her, or too casual. A large portion of these clothes were single-digit sizes and would never fit her.

"Um, Will," Sabrina said, and pointed to the top Will had noticed earlier. "How about that? The short one?"

"NO!" Will nearly screamed. Just the thought of Sabrina exposing her midriff was physically and mentally painful. "That is not something to be wearing on dates, Sabrina. It's... a shirt you would wear to the beach. When nobody else is looking."

"Aww, I like the sequins on it. Too bad nobody else can see it," she said, pouting.

There must be something here that won't be too tight on her. Something silk, Will thought, feeling each article to determine what material it was made of. His fingers ran across something that felt incredibly soft, and he pulled it out. It was a flower-patterened silk dress, spotted with the colors of brown, blue, and yellow. Honestly, it looked like something his great-aunt would wear, but it was the best he found so far. "Do you like this?" he said. "It would look terrific on you."

"Flowers!" Sabrina exclaimed. "It's so pretty! Yes, I want to try on that one!"


	5. Chapter 5

Vaughn didn't want to part with her lips, but he knew that he couldn't be seen kissing Chelsea, not until he officially breaks off his engagement to Sabrina. Placing his own hand over Chelsea's on his cheek, Vaughn mulled it over a minute. His next step was to break off the engagement, right? It would be awkward, but if he didn't, he'd be sacrificing happiness for the rest of his life.

Vaughn decided to share what was on his mind. "I've made a terrible mistake with that engagement," he admitted.

The brunette kissed Vaughn again on the lips, this time a bit longer.

"Well.. What are you waiting for?" she asked slyly. Knowing very well what the cowboy's next plan was.

Cinnamon stood next to Chelsea, in case they were going to ride back home.

The next kiss was heaven. Breaking apart from this a second time was harder than the first. He was terrible with spontaneous planning, however, he couldn't bear to torment Chelsea any longer. It was apparent how much she loved him, and he wanted to prove that the feelings were mutual.

"Do you have any idea how I could handle this gently?" Vaughn asked, looking in the direction of the Regis mansion. "I've already made a promise to her father. He aint gonna be too thrilled to hear about this..." The cowboy could imagine the sparks flying from Regis's narrowed eyes. Then he'd jump on top of him and bite his neck, draining his blood - the guy looked like a freaking vampire!

Vaughn held onto Chelsea's arm, lightly tugging her towards Cinnamon. He wasn't looking forward to this, though he was anxious to get it over and done.

Chelsea's grin couldn't grow any wider. She hopped on Cinnamon along with Vaughn.

"Oh.. Just.. Leave that to me," Chelsea smiled evilly. She already had a very nice plan in store for Sabrina. "Don't worry about Regis, Vaughn.. Or Sabrina for that matter. I've got 'em all under my claws," Cinnamon neighed loudly in agreement and galloped off towards Chelsea's house.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hehe! Now, look!" Sabrina cheered. Will had turned his back to give her privacy. After hearing her speak, he turned around to look at what she... Oh dear, she looked like a nursing home resident. Unfortunately, he was well aware that the dress was better than anything else she could find, excluding the clothing she usually wore.

"It looks stunning on you," Will said, giving her a thumbs up. Vaughn's going to be stunned, all right...

Sabrina was bursting with joy at the compliment. She blushed a rosy color. "It feels so perfect. Thank you again, Will. I would have been completely lost without your help." With a sigh, she added, "I'm already late. Do you think he'll be mad?"

"No, Vaughn loves you very much. He'll be happy you remembered." Will looked at the clock on her nightstand. She wasn't kidding about being terribly late. "We all know you have no sense of time," he teased.

Sabrina giggled girlishly, then put on a pair of blue flats. She grabbed Will by the hand and headed down the stairs. Regis was in the kitchen making crepes.

"Look at me, daddy!" She twirled around, making the dress flow up in the air.

"You look marvelous, dear," her father replied. "Vaughn left a while ago, on a horse. He couldn't have gotten far, so why don't you take a walk and go look for him?"

"On a horse?" Sabrina questioned. Her eyes sparkled. "He brought a horse! Oh, he so romantic!"

"Mmm..." Regis thought for a moment. "When I looked out the window, I saw him with that farm girl. Chelsea, is that her name?"

"Yes, they're best friends," Sabrina said. A worried thought hit her suddenly. No, Vaughn wouldn't do that... She supposed it was her fault for taking so long, he got bored and went to do something else. She needed to go find him, and the first place she thought of was Chelsea's farm. Leaving the mansion, she began walking east to her destination. Along the way, her walk turned to a sprint.

Huffing from running so much, Sabrina had reached the gate of Chelsea's farm. She glanced around at the fields, keeping an eye out for any vicious animals. /I should have came here armed,/ she thought. A metal pipe was lying on the ground nearby. She grabbed it, as it would be a suitable weapon against Chelsea's cows and dogs.

Looking for Vaughn, she peered inside the windows of Chelsea's house. Seeing that neither of them were there, she headed out to the barn. Vaughn could be helping her gather eggs from the chickens, or milking the cows.

Cinnamon galloped through the road, leaving a trail of copper dust behind her. The horse slowly trotted to a halt, and snorted at the horrendous sight in front of her. It was Sabrina. She bayed loudly enough to catch her rider's attention. Chelsea got of Cinnamon and looked around to see exactly what was going on.

It was none other than Sabrina, looking through her window.

"Um, what are you doing here?And WHY is there a metal pipe in your hand?!" inquired Chelsea in a not - so - welcoming tone.

Cinnamon snorted in disgust at the unwanted guest. Chelsea hoped that she hadn't hurt her dogs or other animals.

"Sabrina? I was wonderin' the same thing..." Vaughn was surprised to meet Sabrina at Chelsea's house. What sort of business did she have to travel all the way there? And the animals... thankfully there were none around. Sabrina was terrified of them. He assumed the metal pipe was for self-defense. Good thing they got there in time, before she had a chance to use it.

Sabrina backed away at the sight of the horse, instinctively shielding herself with the pipe in front of her. Chelsea's tone was just as scary as the horse. "I was looking for Vaughn, since I heard he was with you," she said. "What were you guys going to do? Plow the fields? Feed the animals?" Her words sounded hopeful. There was nothing going on between Chelsea and Vaughn. She didn't understand the farming world at all, but she did understand the concept of business partners.

Chelsea was pretty livid now. Sabrina had no business to be on HER property.

"Vaughn had some business with me. And you do realize you're on private property... Right? For an accountant, you're not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed," snapped Chelsea. Cinnamon snorted and prepared to charge at Sabrina, had her rider not been there to stop her, Sabrina would have already ended up as horse fodder.

"Why don't you put that pipe down and come talk to us like a civilized person? That's something I'd expect Shea to do!" cackled Chelsea. Cinnamon nickered in agreement.

While Vaughn himself wouldn't have been so blunt with Sabrina, he agreed with Chelsea's words. Sabrina had a bad habit of making rash decisions on impulse, and the fact that she'd armed herself with a pipe wasn't helping her case. Whatever she was planning was poorly thought out.

"Sabrina," Vaughn said, shaking his head. "Chelsea's right, this is her private property. Next time, call her house to make sure she's home, and if she's not there, wait outside the gate until she comes back. Okay?"

He sounded like a father giving advice to a child, and Sabrina gave a reaction to match. She sniveled, holding her head down pitifully. "I-I'm sorry... This was stupid of me, I know," she said, throwing the pipe down. She used her hand to wipe away clear liquid dribbling from her nose, then wiped her hand on her skirt. "I was just using the pipe to protect myself... From all the danger around here." Upon saying 'danger', she glanced towards the barn, paranoid of what lurks inside of it.

Chelsea cringed a bit at the disgusting sight and eased down her shoulders. She already knew why Sabrina was here, now she only had to get it out of her somehow. Chelsea knew about her irrational fear of animals. "Uh.. What danger? The only "danger" here would be you holding that pipe. You can't possibly be talking about my animals could you? The pen is closed! The only animals I have are my horse cinnamon, a dog, two cows, three sheep, five chickens, and a pig," Cinnamon pointed her snout towards Sabrina at the word "pig".

"Anyway... What brings you here?" asked Chelsea, now calm.

Sabrina hugged herself. "That sounds like a ton of animals to me! But... I didn't know you kept the animals locked up. I thought they just ran around."

"Only an amateur farmer would let their animals run amok in the fields," Vaughn informed. Feed scattered, supplies knocked over, crops eaten, animals wanderin' into town - that's what you'd get by the end of the day."

"Oh, okay... Farming has never interested me, so I don't know much about it." Sabrina replied. "Anyways, you wanted to know why I came here, so..." Sabrina paused, shuffling her feet. "Daddy told me he saw you two riding away on a horse, and I figured Chelsea brought you back to her house, Vaughn. Since you're always delivering stuff here."

Vaughn had his eyes fixed in another direction, on /anything/ but Sabrina. This was too awkward. He wasn't used to girlfriends or romance, and he didn't have a clue where to start with a break-up.

Chelsea couldn't roll her eyes deeper into her sockets if she tried. Just how ignorant was this girl? Farming wasn't that difficult to understand, but Sabrina was a whole different story. Her face was buried deeply into both of her palms. But what Vaughn said had nothing to do with interest, it was purely common sense! She wondered what Vaughn even SAW in her to begin with.

She looked up and faced Sabrina square in the eyes. "Yeah it wouldn't hurt for you to learn new things.. Speaking of which. I think Vaughn had something to tell you," she said, giving Vaughn a wink, facing him. Chelsea took Cinnamon's reigns and wrapped them around her hand. "Oh, and without my farm and "scary animals", your daddy dearest's mine wouldn't have come into existence," she spat.

Sabrina stood and stared quietly at the ground, knowing that Chelsea truly was the reason why the Regis family business was prospering better than ever before.

Vaughn's blood ran cold for a second. He was thankful that he had Chelsea here to push him into saying what needed to be said. There would be backlash after this, he was well aware. The backlash would be worth it once this was said and done.

"This won't be easy for me to say, Sabrina," Vaughn began, swallowing down his nervousness. It would be easier if he blurted all the important bits out at once. "I can't marry you. I've realized that there's someone else I've been in love with, for a very long time. I just didn't see it until recently. I'm sorry, Sabrina. Even so... I'd like to keep being friends, if you ever can forgive me."


End file.
